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I write to share the sad and shocking news that our colleague and friend Chris Boucek died of a heart attack on November 2 at home.

Chris joined the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East program near the outset of his career. He not only met but far exceeded our expectations. As those of you who know his work appreciate, he made a big impact in many communities in the Middle East and in the US. In a very short time, he built up a unique body of expertise on Islamic extremism in the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahel. He had recently returned from Yemen, full of thoughtful analysis on where the region was heading. From academia to the military, his insights and advice were in wide demand. He was also a sparklingly nice human being, of quiet warmth and humor who leaves a very big hole behind. We will miss him deeply: he was an admired colleague and a great friend.

We invite you to contribute your thoughts and memories of Chris to a book we are preparing for his family. If you would like to contribute a comment, please click on the image above. Your note will be included in the book.

A memorial education fund for Chris's young daughters has been established, and gifts can be sent to:

Christopher Boucek was an associate in the Carnegie Middle East Program where his research focused on security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa. He was a leading authority on disengagement and rehabilitation programs for Islamist militants and extremists and a recognized expert on terrorism, security, and stability issues in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

He frequently briefed U.S. and European governments and government agencies on terrorism, Islamist militancy, and security issues in the Arabian Peninsula, and regularly provided expert analysis for domestic and international media.

His research projects included clerical politics in Saudi Arabia and the confluence of challenges to Yemeni stability. He provided expert testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee.

Before joining the Carnegie Endowment, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University and lecturer in Politics at the Woodrow Wilson School. He was also previously a media analyst at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., and worked for several years at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London. From 2003 to 2005, he was a security editor with Jane’s Information Group.

Boucek had written widely on the Middle East, terrorism, and counter-radicalization for a variety of publications including the Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Independent, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, Atlantic Monthly, Jane’s Intelligence Review, Journal of Libyan Studies, Strategic Insights, and Terrorism Monitor.

While recent U.S. drone strikes in Yemen have been successful, Washington can’t rely on a remote control to defeat terrorism. Improving governance and the lives of Yemenis will do more to reduce violence than drones ever will.

Washington and Riyadh have enjoyed a successful relationship in combating global terror and Saudi Arabia is remarkably effective in containing the terrorist threat—but if the country loses focus on this priority, terrorism could come back with a vengeance.

The Carnegie Endowment offers a first-of-its-kind interactive site to explore the people, places, and organizations that impacted the lives of eleven prominent Saudi terrorists known as the “Saudi Eleven.”

Until Yemen is able to address its confluence of crises, including poor governance, rampant corruption, major security concerns, unemployment, and a lack of desperately needed resources, terrorists operating in the country will continue to pose a threat to the international community.

Tensions between the United States and Saudi Arabia are seemingly on the rise as protests continue to roil the Arab world. Some fear that an unfriendly relationship with Riyadh will damage Washington’s interests in the region.

While Washington should be worried about the increasing prominence of Anwar al-Awlaki, the popular Yemeni-American preacher, he won't supplant Osama bin Laden as the head of al-Qaeda and the leader of the global jihadi movement.

Deradicalization programs will likely remain a necessary part of larger counter-radicalization and counterterrorism strategies. To succeed, deradicalization programs must include affective, pragmatic, and ideological components and considerable aftercare.

Without addressing Yemen's immediate security challenges—including a civil war in the North, a secessionist movement in the South, and a resurgent al-Qaeda organization—the country's long-term economic and governance issues cannot be resolved.

In a negotiated settlement to the political crisis and power struggle occurring in Yemen, the youth protesters who first took to the streets are likely to be cut out of any final deal, which will be made by the political elites.

The Arab Spring is causing tension in the close relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. There is a growing sense in Riyadh that Saudi and U.S. national security interests may be increasingly divergent.

Although Yemen’s President Saleh has indicated a willingness to step down, the situation in Yemen remains unstable. Many protesters feel their demands are still not being met, even as al-Qaeda expands its presence in the country and Yemen’s economy continues to fail.

An orderly transition of power in Yemen that avoids creating a vacuum with the departure of President Saleh is critical in order to meet the demands of the protesters and maintain stability in the country.

Yemen’s President Saleh has indicated that he is ready to relinquish power. It is important that the United States, its European partners, and Saudi Arabia assist Yemen during its critical transition period.

While Yemen has become a haven for al-Qaida, it is also a quiet U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism. Now its ruler of more than 30 years is under pressure from demonstrators, his generals, and diplomats to step aside.

Washington’s response to the Arab Spring was crafted in the context of competing priorities: the challenge of managing simultaneous land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an increasingly assertive Iranian regime, international terrorism, climate change, and an economic recession.

The transformations underway across the Middle East present both an opportunity and a challenge for U.S. policy in the region, as new actors enter the political stage with positions, goals, and political weight that are still difficult to judge.

Turmoil in the Middle East has injected huge uncertainty into oil markets. Could unrest spread to Saudi Arabia, Iran, or others in the region and disrupt oil supplies? What will be the consequences for the global recovery? What can policy makers do?

Corruption is the root cause of Yemen’s stagnated growth, wasting vital resources, time, and human capabilities. Combating corruption should be a central part of any strategy to reduce instability and improve the lives of Yemeni citizens.

Libya is now in the second year of full normalization with the United States, following decades of frozen diplomatic relations. The country still faces many domestic challenges, including the presence of radical Islamist groups and the challenges of transition and reform after years of international isolation.

Radical cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki's powerful appeal to violent extremists, ties to al-Qaeda, and apparent inspirational role in the failed Christmas Day bombing and the Fort Hood shooting have made him a high priority target for the Obama administration.

Since Yemen became a policy priority three months ago, there has been much discussion about the emergence of under-governed spaces in the country as host for Al-Qaeda. It is critical to understand how these alternatively governed areas function, deal with conflict, and how traditional methods of conflict resolution work.

Experts fear that Yemen is rapidly becoming a center for radicalization and a haven for extremists. At the same time, a confluence of looming domestic challenges threatens to bring the country to its knees, with potentially destabilizing consequences for the region.